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Business & Tech

Front of the House: Siena

The restaurant at Meritage Resort celebrates local ingredients with an Italian influence.

The , a four-star, four-diamond complex in South Napa, is the home to Siena Restaurant, which serves up “Napa Valley cuisine with a Tuscan influence.”

Menu selections are prepared fresh from local organic farms, including farm-raised beef, artisan cheeses, braised local lamb and local crab cakes. Siena, inspired by John Wooden’s motto, “Make each day your masterpiece,” lives up to the expectation.

Siena currently caters more to the corporate and tourist clientele than to Napa locals, but that may be about to change. With a nice locals' discount and an innovative approach, Siena is poised to be discovered by Napa clientele.  

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I recently sat down with Food and Beverage Manager Laurel Sather, while watching the chefs work their magic in the open kitchen.

Julie: People might say the Meritage Resort is hard to find.

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Laurel: We’re right below “The Crusher” statue off Highway 29.

Julie: Well, that puts you on the map. Everyone knows The Crusher.

Laurel: The resort’s spa is literally under The Crusher.

Julie: That’s pretty cool. Are most of Siena’s diners resort guests or do you get locals as well?

Laurel: Both. We offer a 20% discount to locals. We want Napa people to come in.

Julie: How would you describe the Siena experience?

Laurel: We really try to personalize our service, which we need to do because our clientele is so unique. We have guests dressed in shorts and guests dressed in suits and ties.

Julie: What do you look for in a “front of the house” employee?

Laurel: A passion for food and wine, of course, and experience. And we want our guests to feel at home, whether they’re traveling or local. 

Julie: How important is the wine component at Siena?

Laurel:  We recently reworked the list. For the novice, it provides information on AVAs and varietals, and for someone who knows everything about wine, it’s a refresher.

Julie: What’s it like to work in a resort setting?

Laurel: Never a dull moment. The guests are from all over the country and all over the world, and what we take for granted, like local Napa fare,  for example micro greens, they consider a luxury.

Julie: The pace must be pretty different from Mustard’s, where you worked at one point.

Laurel: Here, it’s never an even pace. We’ll be going 120 miles an hour, then it slows down, and then picks up again.

Julie: Who is your chef?

Laurel: We just hired a new executive chef, Michael Collins. He’s worked at some amazing places, including Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara and the Ritz Carlton. He’ll give the menu a new look, but local ingredients will still be key.

Julie:  I see you’ve got a huge expansion underway.

Laurel: The new complex will house a café, coffee shop, sports bar, and six high-end bowling lanes in a plush, lounge-like setting.

Julie: Sounds like fun. When will it open?

Laurel: Spring of 2012.

Julie: You must be excited.

Laurel: When we’re about to order the china and glassware, that’s when I’ll get excited.

 

 

 

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